Method of welding



Jan. 26, 1954 P. c. ARNoLD 2,667,559

METHOD OF WELDING Filed May 4, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheef 2 25 4415 24 g/ gg i Patented Jan. 26, 1954 METHOD. OF WELDING' Perry C; Arnold, Chicago, Ill..V assignor to Chicago Bridge & Iron Companyg'an .Illinois corporation Application May 4, 1951, Serial No. 224,'576

8 Claims. Cl. 219-10) This invention relates to :almethod of weldingf and more particularly to a method of welding'V involving the use of two 4weldingheads -on opposed sides of the work and. the correlation' of the spacing of the weldinguheadsfrom each other during such welding.

The invention is an' improvement on and a continuation-in-part of my copending applicationl Serial No. 1314223, filed December 5, 1949. Itiis particularly designedefor use with the` apparatus therein. shown.

jTheinvention-.is also primarily directed :to the. use of ,the so-cal-led submerged `arc welding systemin which. a welding electrode. is--submerged below the V:flux in predetermined spacedrelationshipto the plates-.or other material to bewelded;

In'usingthe conventional welding equipment; and'welding headsthe'welder has a choiceV of rod-V` sizes, amperage, voltage andv travel speed.` Ihave=found-out that when using twowelding heads,1 one on each sidezof the work, compensav tion must bemade for the thickness of the plate;

or work to avoid burning through or-otherwise overheating; Theoretically adjustment might be-.made by ychanging; the.v amount.of current, but mostof the `welderscprefer not to make a widegvariation in .current and theweldingv apparatuses .are not particularly adapted' forv wide variations. I havefound that the current-,,setVA tings may be kept within the normal ranges without `dificulty dueto .burning out providing the weldingheadsinstead of being directly opposed toeach other on. the work are .Offset inthe di.- rection .of travel along the Weld., and this distanceof-offsetting is correlated to the Vthickness of the work so asv to compensate for'variations.

in thickness. I havefound that the relationship may be. Vexpressed mathematically as. a constant such that `D\/T`=`K where T is the thickness of the plate in inches; D is the lead of one Welding head over-the. other expressed in inches projected along the-direction of. travel in4 welding; andK .is a constant. For practical purposes, K is approximately2.

This means that with normal settings of the usualweldingapparatus .and employing `a plate 1 .inehthiclr .the projeeted distance: between theV tips-.of theelectrodes alongttheweldf travel is approximately Z'Vinches, or stated more simply,

that one electrode hasxa leadof 2; inches over the other.

Will be of unequal thickness, the lower plate bering thicker than the superimposed plate. In

such cases .the calculation maybe :madeon the basis of the avera'ge, althoughif-there .is very considerable.. .difference in thel thickness` it is safest to bas'e the: correlations on'the thinner plate, particularly since'theiends of the electrodes are likelyto be closer to; that plate. than to the thicker plate, due to the fact that theb'evel'ing to form the V= groove may be entirely in thexthinner plate.

I have also found that it isffrequently important -to incl-ine-ftheelectrode downwardly -from the horizontal in one or the other or-both of the Weldin-g electrodes. Likewise, it is lfrequently advantageous to inclne-one or both of the electrodes backwardly towardethe Work in the direction of'itravel. The-angle ofvthe tip away from the'horizontal will vary from 1zero to fifty .degrees being; normal'ly'fromv twenty to fifty degrees on thicker plat'es and from Zero to twenty-five degrees on thinner plates.,

The .angle of inclination towardithe rear will be from five to forty' degrees on the thicker'plates and from zero to twenty degrees on the thinner plates.

Thefollowing. tablegives Operating data for a considerable number of plate sizes.

In thistable,v vcolumn 1 givesl` the thickness of the bottom plate; co1umn2 the thickness of the top plate; .column .3 statesthe welding head conditions .for ther outsidel or inside as specified; column `lit-.the -electrode thickness; column` 5 the approximate amperage; column 6 the approximate voltage; column 7 states Whether thepass is the first or'second Welding'pass where one ormore passessis employed; column 8 States the leadof oneelectrodeover theother; columnwS the `travel speed in inches per minute: columnlo` gives the angle oftip fromhorzontal; and column 11 gives the angle oftinwitlrradial. line;

P] t Thick- Eleetrode Approxi- Approxib etween Travel tip from with a e' ness, Side thickness, mate mate Pass ti S Speed, 110112011' radal bottom top inches amperage volts p I in. lmin tel,

mches degrees Line degrees 650-660 28 lst l 12-14 20-50 5-40 y 650-660 26 1st IM 12-14 20-50 5-40 520-540 26--30 2nd 134 18 20-50 5-40 520-540 26-30 2nd l 18 20-50 5-40 y 58 24-26 lSt l kit-2 12-14 20-45 5-35 s 540-560 26-28 lst 1 -Z 12-14 20-45 5-35 y 520-560 26-30 2nd Iki-2 24-28 -25 0-20 962 480-520 26-30 2nd 156-2 24-28 0-25 0-20 570-580 24-26 lst 2 13-14 20-45 -35 952 540-560 26-28 lst 2 13-14 20-45 5-35 500-520 26-28 2nd 2 24-28 0-25 0-20 S/z 440-480 26-28 2nd 2 24-28 0-25 0-20 570-580 24-26 lst 2 13-14 20-45 5-35 552 540-560 26-28 lst 2 13-14 20-45 5-35 500-520 26-28 21111 2 26-28 0-25 0-20 z 440-480 26-28 2nd 2 26-28 0-25 0-20 y 560-580 24-26 lst 2 -2Vz 15-17 -45 5-35 962 520-540 26-28 lst. 2 -2 15-17 20-45 5-35 500-520 26-28 2nd 2 -24 26-30 0-25 0-20 z 440-460 26-28 2nd 2 -2 26-30 0-25 0-20 560-580 24-26 lst 2 -294 15-17 20-45 5-35 z 520-540 26-28 lst. 2 -2 15-17 20-45 5-35 M; 500-520 26-28 2nd 2 -2116 26-30 0-25 0-20 952 440-460 26-28 2nd 2 -2% 26-30 0-25 0-20 540-560 26-28 lst 214-3 19-22 0-25 0-25 9:32 520-540 26-28 lSt 296-3 19-22 0-25 0-25 540-560 26-28 lst 244-3 20-23 0-25 0-25 562 520-540 26-28 lst 254-3 20-23 0-25 0-25 540-560 26-28 lst; 244-3 23-25 0-25 0-25 642 520-540 26-28 lst 2-3 23-25 0-25 0-25 540-560 26-28 lst 2-3 25-27 0-25 0-25 962 520-540 26-28 lst 2$-3 25-27 0-25 0-25 500-520 26-28 ist 3 -3 27-30 0-25 0-25 z 480-500 26-28 lst. 3 -B/z 27-30 0-25 0-25 480- 27-29 lst. 4 -4 30-33 0-25, 0-25 'z 460-480 27-29 ist 4 -4 30-33 0-25 0-25 440-450 28-30 lst 4 -5 33-36 0-25 0-25 962 440-450 28-30 lst 4 -5 33-36 0-25 0-25 952 440-460 28-30 lst 4 -5 38-42 0-25 0-25 952 420-440 28-30 lst 4 -5 38-42 0-25 0-25 It will be noted that the travel speed is likewise in constant ratio to the lead of one electrode over the other for any given pass. In other words,ithe travel speed in inches per minute is approximately 7 to 9 times the lead expressed inl inches on the first pass and 12 to 14 times on the second pass.

The drawings indicate diagrammatically the angle of approach of the electrodes.

Figure 1 is a plan view showinig the lead of one electrode over the other and the rearward inclination of the tip;

Figure 2 is an elevation view showing the inclination of the tip from the horizontal; and

Figure 3 is a front'plan view of a welding apparatus as illustrated in applicant's copending application Serial No. 131,223, filed December 5, 1949, for carrying the welding electrodes along a horizontal joint to perform the welding as herein specified.

In Figure 1, I0 indicates the lower plate; II the upper plate; I2 the groove within which weld metal is to be deposited; i3, one welding head With an electrode M; I5, the other welding head with an electrode 16. The angles at IT and I 8' indicate rearward inclination of the electrodes.

In Figure 2, grooves IZ and I2a are illustrated and I9 and 20 indicate the angles of declination of the tip from the horizontal.

The welding apparatus illustrated in Figure 3 is more clearly described. in applicant's copending application referred to above. In general, frame members 2I are provided with a wheel 23 and a second wheel 24 both rotatably mounted between the frame members 21. Wheel 24 is adapted to be driven by means of a chain 25 connected to a variable speed motor 26. wheels are each provided with a central groove44 adapted to receive the upper edge of a plate 20` and to carry the carriage therealong.v

The'

to hold a coil of electrode wire and motor meansV 32 adapted to feed the electrode from the coil'to a welding head directed against the joint 34 existing between the plate 28 and a lower plate 35.

The welding apparatus is that known as Unionmelt and the motor means is provided with means regulating the rate of feed of the electrode in response to variations in voltage across thev welding zone.

Manually operable handles 33 and 31 may be used to move the welding head inwardly, out- Wardly and vertically to locate the welding head the correct distance and in correct alignment with the joint 34. Spring 38 is connected to the frame and to the welding apparatus to urge the latter against the plate.

Clutch means operated by the handle 40 is provided to clutch the driving motor 28 to the wheel 24 to propel the carriage, and hence the apparatus, against the joint. The driving motor 1 26 may be adjusted to give a speed along the weld of from 10 to inches per minute.

Flux supplied from a hopper 42 by a pipe 43 is conducted to a flux support 44 immediately vahead The foreging detailed description is given forV clearness of understanding only and no unnecessary limitations should be understood therefrom as modifications will be obvious to those skilled in the art.

I claim:

1. In the process of submerged arc electric welding of a generally horizontal joint between upright plates, the method which comprises: mounting a carriage on the upper plates to carry a Welding head along the joint, correlating the rate of travel of the carriage to the fusion of an electrode carried at the joint by the carriage to deposit a weld bead substantially larger than the Welding electrode, directing the electrode downwardly and rearwardly toward the joint to permit expanding gases to carry metal being deposited toward previously deposited metal and upwardly in the joint into freezing contact with the upper plate, and fusing the so deposited weld bead by such directing to both the upper and lower plates With the bead having a root Width substantially smaller than its outer Width to provide cooling of the bead from the root of the joint outwardly avoiding faults in the deposited metal.

2. The method of claim 1 Wherein a welding head is employed on each side of the seam and the heads are moved in concert along the seam with one head leading the other by an amount such that the lead in inches multiplied by the Square root of the thickness of the work in inches is approximately a constant.

3. In the process of submerged arc electric Welding of a generally horizontal joint between upright plates, the method which comprises: directing a Welding electrode to the joint to deposit weld metal therein, striking an arc between the electrode and plates at the joint, moving the electrode along the joint While feeding same toward the joint to provide additional metal for fusion to the plates, correlating the rate of moving the electrode to the fusion thereof to deposit a weld bead substantially larger than the welding electrode and of a size to completely weld one side of a joint in plates up to about one-half inch thick, directing the electrode rearwardly and downwardly toward the joint to permit'expanding gases to wash the deposited weld metal rearwardly along the seam so that the gases from the fused fiux carry the metal upwardly and freeze the metal to both upper and lower plates in a weld bead having a Width at least equal to its depth.

4. In the process of submerged arc electric Welding of a generally horizontal joint between upright plates, the method which comprises: feeding a Welding electrode toward the joint, striking an arc between the plates and the electrode along the joint While continuing feeding the same to provide additional weld metal for fusion to the plates, correlating the rate of moving the electrode to the fusion thereof to deposit a weld bead substantially larger than the Welding electrode, and directing the electrode to the joint downwardly and rearwardly to permit the expanding gases to wash deposited weld metal to- Ward previously deposited metal and build up a weld bead fused to each plate and having a Width at least equal to its depth whereby the bead cools from the inside progressively outwardly.

5. The method as set forth in claim 4 in which the electrode is directed downwardly from horizontal not substantially more than 45 for thicknesses of Work less than one inch.

6. The method as set forth in claim 4 in which the electrode is directed downwardly from horizontal not less than 20 nor substantially more than for thicknesses of work more than one inch.

7. The method as set forth in claim 4 in which the backward inclination of the electrode is not substantially more than 35 to a line normal to the work for thicknesses of work less than one inch.

8. The method as set forth in claim 4 in which the backward inclination of the electrode is not less than 5 nor more than 40 to a line normal to the Work for thicknesses of work more than one inch.

PERRY C. ARNOLD.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,091,479 Bucknam Mar. 31, 1914 2,401,722 Clapp et al June 11, 1946 

